Idaho Love

I think I'm starting to fall in love with the Idaho Mountains.  I have always been one that enjoys nature and the outdoors.  I love different varieties of birds and flowers and here I have been overwhelmed with all of the above.  the lakes are clear and the rivers and rugged and gushing with whitewater rapids, the mountains are impressive, the air clear, crisp and dry and the people are laid back and fun.  The amount of birds that I have seen here is impressive the most brilliant was the blue bird that we saw at the top of Brundage mountain. 

Today was another wonderful day here in McCall.  It started with a swim lesson at the fish and swim club, we moved on to the game room where Grandma & Pa met up with us there to go fishing.  We fished at the pond and as we were getting our hooks baited we saw an osprey eagle dive and catch a fish.  Incredible!  We weren't so lucky with the fish so the boys moved onto the playground.  Adam and Zach played four square with Grandma & Pa and Andrew and I played bocce ball.  It was fun just soaking eachother's company up and playing with one another. 

There is a continuous theme for this summer and it is Star Wars.  Adam has fallen in love with it and haswatched all 6 epsodes several times this summer (on the plane and in the car), declared the light saber gift that he received for his birthday the best gift tat he has ever received and had to have it with him on this trip.  He also packed his brother's sabers and it has been a constant entertainment for all during this whole time.  I turned on "Star Wars the Clone Wars" for Andrew and all the boys have been mesmerized by this science fiction.  It was while they were thus engaged that Grandma and I were up in her art studio going through stuff and organizing up there.  Eventually we came down to meet up with a friend to show us where a good huckleberry patch was.  We went picking and this has become another one of the mountain life enchantments.  Even though we didn't find but just a handful it was still really fun finding a sweet delicious berry that can only be found in the wild. 

Our day ended with a Idahoan wood stacking service project.  At first Adam and Zachary didn't want to participate so I said that is fine you can just watch and before I knew it they were in the line passing wood.  They worked hard and with out a complaint they were by far the youngest helpers there.  I was proud of them for working so hard.  Poor Andrew wanted to help too but really couldn't and hung out in the back of Grandpa's truck.  It was an ok place for him until he need to go to the bathroom and couldn't get out and couldn't see me to call for help.  Kawaiso!  He got cleaned up and stayed warm inside Grandma's car.  It turned really cold and is suppose to be in the 30's tonight.  To warm up Grandpa fired up their wood pellet stove and everyone enjoyed warming up by the fire and eating popcorn.